of officers at Den

and Charlotte.

SEC. 3559. The officers of the assay-offices embraced by Appointment the preceding section shall be, when their respective serv-ver, Boise City, ices are required, an assayer and a melter; each of whom Ibid.,8. 57, ante, shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice P. 103. and consent of the Senate. Their salaries shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars a year each.

Powers and du

ties of assayers at

SEC. 3560. The assayer at each of the assay-offices embraced by section thirty-five hundred and fifty-eight, shall assay-offices. have general charge of the office; and may employ, under Ibid., ss. 57, 53. the direction of the Director of the Mint, such clerks, work. men, and laborers as may be authorized therefor by law; and shall discharge the duties of disbursing agent for the expenses of the office under his charge. The salaries paid Compensation of employés. to clerks shall not exceed one thousand eight hundred dollars a year each. Workmen and laborers shall receive such wages as are customary according to their respective stations and occupations.

of officer, and

acts Feb. 27, 1877.

SEC. 3561. Each officer and clerk appointed at either of Bond and oath the assay-officers embraced by section thirty-five hundred clerk. and fifty-eight shall, before entering upon the duties of his Ibid., 8. 58. office, take an oath pursuant to the provisions of Title XIX, [Amended by "PROVISIONS APPLYING [APPLICABLE] TO SEVERAL and Feb. 18, 1875.] CLASSES OF OFFICERS," and shall give a bond to the United States, with one or more sureties, satisfactory to the Director of the Mint or to one of the judges of the supreme court of the State or Territory in which the office to which he is appointed is located, conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties. [See §§ 1756, 1757.]

tomintsextended

Ibid,s. 60, ante,

SEC. 3562. All provisions of law for the regulation of Laws relating mints, the government of officers and persons employed to assay-offices. therein, and for the punishment of all offen es connected p. 101 with mints or coinage, shall extend to all assay-offices as far as applicable.

[See R. S., s. 5460, post, p. 140.]

Decimal system

established.

2 April, 1792, c.

SEC. 3563. The money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars or units, dimes or tenths, cents, or hundredths, and mills or thousandths, a dime being the 16, s. 20, ante, p. 7. tenth part of a dollar, a cent the hundreth part of a dollar, a mill the thousandth part of a dollar; and all accounts in the public offices and all proceedings in the courts shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation.

coins, how ascer

3 Mar., 1873, c. 268, F. 1.

SEC. 3564. The value of foreign coin as expressed in the Value of foreign money of account of the United States shall be that of the tained. pure metal of such coin of standard value; and the values of the standard coins in circulation of the various nations of the world shall be estimated annually by the Director of the Mint, and be proclaimed on the first day of January by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Value of the sovereign or

Ibid., 8. 2.

SEC. 3565. In all payments by or to the Treasury, whether pound sterling. made here or in foreign countries, where it becomes necessary to compute the value of the sovereign or pound sterling, it shall be deemed equal to four dollars eighty-six cents and six and one-half mills, and the same rule shall be applied in appraising merchandise imported where the value is, by the invoice, in sovereigns or pounds sterling, and in the construction of contracts payable in sovereigns or pounds sterling; and this vaiuation shall be the par of exchange between Great Britain and the United States; and all contracts made after the first day of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, based on an assumed par of exchange with Great Britain of fifty-four pence to the dollar, or four dollars forty-four and four-ninths cents to the sovereign or pound sterling, shall be null and void.

Spanish and Mexican coins.

21 Feb., 1857, c.

SEC. 3566. All foreign gold and silver coins received in payment for moneys due to the United States shall, before being issued in circulation, be coined anew.

SEC. 3567. The pieces commonly known as the quarter, eighth, and sixteenth of the Spanish pillar dollar, and of the 56, s. 1, ante, p. 24. Mexican dollar, shall be receivable at the Treasury of the United States, and its several offices, and at the several post. offices and land-offices, at the rates of valuation following: the fourth of a dollar, or piece of two reals, at twenty cents; the eighth of a dollar, or piece of one real, at ten cents; and the sixteenth of a dollar, or half-real, at five cents.

Their transmission for recoinage.

Amended by v. 19, p. 249.

SEC. 3568. The Director of the Mint, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, may prescribe such regula 21 Feb., 1857. c. tions as are necessary and proper, to secure the transmission 56, s. 2, ante, p. 24. of the coins mentioned in the preceding section to the Mint act Feb. 27, 1877, for recoinage, and the *[re]turn or distribution of the proceeds thereof, when deemed expedient, and may prescribe such forms of account as are appropriate and applicable to the circumstances. The expenses incident to such transmission or distribution, and of recoinage, shall be charged against the account of silver profit and loss, and the net profits, if any, shall be paid, from time to time, into the Treasury.

Use of the met

ric system authorized.

301, s. 1.

SEC. 3569. It shall be lawful throughout the United States of America to employ the weights and measures of the met28 July, 1866, c. ric system; and no contract or dealing, or pleading in any court, shall be deemed invalid or liable to objection because the weights or measures expressed or referred to therein are weights or measures of the metric system.

* See act February 21, 1857, ch. 56. sec. 2 ante, p. 24.

Ibid., 8. 2.

SEC. 3570. The tables in the schedule hereto annexed Authorized tables of weights shall be recognized in the construction of contracts, and in and measures all legal proceedings, as establishing, in terms of the weights and measures now in use in the United States, the equivalents of the weights and measures expressed therein in terms of the metric system; and the tables may lawfully be used for computing, determining, and expressing in customary weights and measures the weights and measures of the metric system.

THE CURRENCY.

notes.

United States SEC. 3571. United States notes shall be of such denominations no[t] less than one dollar, as the Secretary of the 73, 8.3. 13, P. Treasury may prescribe, shall not bear interest, shall be

3 Mar.. 1863, c.

1, ante, p. 55.

res. 9, v. 12, p.

11 Jan., 1863, payable to bearer, and shall be in such form as the Secretary may deem best.

822, ante, p. 53.

11 July, 1862, c.

142, s. 1. v. 12, p. 532, ante, p. 50; 25 Feb., 1862, c. 33, s. 1, v. 12, p. 345, ante, p. 44.

[See R. S., ss. 5413, 5414, post, p. 135.]

Amount of frac

tional currency

SEC. 3572. The whole amount of notes or stamps for the authorized. fractions of a dollar, issued as currency, shall not, at any 20 June, 1864, c time, exceed fifty millions of dollars.

172, s. 5, v. 13, p. 220, ante, p. 66.

No issue less than ten cents.

16 May., 1866, c.

SEC. 3573. No issue of fractional notes of the United States shall be of a less denomination than ten cents; and 1e1, 8. 3, ante, p.77. all issues of a less denomination shall, when paid into the Treasury or any designated depository of the United States, or redeemed or exchanged as now provided by law, be retained and canceled.

Form and redemption of fractional notes.

SEC. 3574. The notes of the fractional currency shall be in such form, with such inscriptions, and with such safe3 Mar., 1863. c. guards against counterfeiting as the Secretary of the Treasury 711, ante, p. 56. may deem best. They shall be exchangeable by the assist172, s. 5, v. 13, p. ant treasurers and designated depositaries for United States 220, ante, p. 66.

73, s. 4, v. 12, p.

30 June, 1864, c.

Preparation of

notes.

30 June, 1864, c.

220, ante, p. 66.

notes in sums of not less than three dollars; and shall be receivable for postage and revenue stamps, and for all dues to the United States, except customs, in sums not over five dollars, and shall be redeemed on presentation at the Treasury of the United States in such sums and under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe.

SEC. 3575. The Secretary of the Treasury may provide for the engraving and preparation, and for the issue of frac172, s. 5, v. 13, p. tional and other notes, and shall make such regulations for 3 Mar., 1863, c. the redemption of such notes when mutilated or defaced, and for the receipt of fractional notes in payment of debts to the United States, except for customs, in such sums, not over five dollars, as may appear to him expedient.

73, s. 4, v. 12, p. 711, ante, p. 56.

Portraits of living persons not to be placed on bonds or notes.

7 Apr.,1866, c. 28, s. 12, v. 14.

Engraving and printing notes.

SEC. 3576. No portrait shall be placed upon any of the bonds, securities, Lotes, fractional or postal currency of the United States, while the original of such portrait is living.

SEC. 3577. The Secretary of the Treasury may cause notes to be engraved, printed, and executed, at the Depart142, s. 2, v. 12, p. ment of the Treasury in Washington, and under his direc

11 July, 1862, c.

532, ante, p. 51.

5433, 5453, post,

[See R. S., ss. tion, if he deem it inexpedient to procure them to be enpp. 137, 138.] graved and printed by contract; and he may purchase and provide all the machinery and materials, and employ

such persons and appoint such officers as are necessary for this purpose.

172, s. 9, v. 13, p.

SEC. 3578. The necessary expenses of engraving, print-, Expenses of issuing notes. ing, preparing, and issuing the United States notes, Treas- 30 June, 1954, . ury notes, and fractional notes shall be paid out of any 221, ante, p. 68. money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated; but no extra compensation for preparing, signing, or issuing such notes shall be allowed to any officer whose salary is fixed by law.

SEC. 3579. When any United States notes are returned to the Treasury, they may be re-issued, from time to time, as the exigencies of the public interest may require.

Reissue of Uni

ted States notes.

3 Mar., 1863, c 73, s. 3, v. 12, p. 710, ante, p. 56;

Replacing mu

tilated notes.

17 Mar., 1862, c. 45, 8. 4, v. 12, p.

11 July, 1862, c. 142, s. 1, v. 12, p. 532, ante, p. 51; 25 Feb., 1862, c. 33, s. 1, v. 12,p. 345, ante, p. 45. SEC. 3580. When any United States notes returned to the Treasury are so mutilated or otherwise injured as to be unfit for use, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to 370, ante, p. 50. replace the same with others of the same character and amounts.

notes.
Ibid.

SEC. 3581. Mutilated United States notes, when replaced Destruction of according to law, and all other notes which by law are required to be taken up, and not re-issued, when taken up, shall be destroyed in such manner and under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe. SEC. 3582. The authority given to the Secretary of the the currency sus Treasury to make any reduction of the currency, by retiring and canceling United States notes, is suspended.

Reduction

of

4 Feb., 1868, c 6, v. 15, p. 34, ante, p. 78; 12 April, 1866, c. 28, s. 1, v. 14, p. 31, ante, p. 75.

SEC. 3583. No person shall make, issue, circulate, or pay out any note, check, memorandum, token, or other obligation for a less sum than one dollar, intended to circulate as money or to be received or used in lieu of lawful money of the United States; and every person so offending shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, at the discretion of the court.

Restriction on notes less than

one dollar.

17 July, 1862, c.

196, s. 2, v. 12, p.

592, ante, p. 53.

LEGAL TENDER.

SEC. 3584. No foreign gold or silver coins shall be a legal Foreign coins. tender in payment of debts.

21 Feb., 1857, c. 56, s. 3, v. 11, p. 163, ante, p. 25.

Gold coins of tho United

12 Feb., 1873, c.

SEC. 3585. The gold coins of the United States shall be a legal tender in all payments at their nominal value when States. not below the standard weight and limit of tolerance pro- 131, s. 14, v. 17, p. vided by law for the single piece, and, when reduced in 426, ante, p. 92. weight below such standard and tolerance, shall be a legal tender at valuation in proportion to their actual weight.